


Game of Survival

by LepidLilac



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Guess who has magic ;), I'm Bad At Tagging, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Langst, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Not really sure how to do this, Shiro (Voltron) is MIA, Swearing, Too many italicized words, first fic, genderfluid pidge, klance, someone gets shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-01 08:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10184711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LepidLilac/pseuds/LepidLilac
Summary: A mission goes wrong and a hidden talent is revealed. How will everyone react?UPDATE: NOW WITH FANART FROM THE LOVELY VELMADINKLY ON TUMBLR! <3 https://velmadinkley.tumblr.com/post/165135385324/magiclance-for-lepidlilacs-a-game-of-survival





	1. Mission Gone Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> So! This is my first fanfic and it took a lot of courage to upload this, haha! Feedback is welcome and I really hope you enjoy the story!

This mission was doomed from the start.

Keith felt it in his chest as they crept into the abandoned Galran base, their lions hidden outside. It was supposed to be simple. Get the information they need and get out, preferably undetected. Easy-peasy. They all stuck close together, Keith and Lance leading the team down through the eerily silent halls. He’s sure that the others feel just as unnerved as he does. For once, Lance is silent, while Pidge and Hunk both looked on edge. The purple glow of the lights in the hall flickers off for just a moment and they all freeze, readying themselves for an attack. The lights stutter back to life and Keith isn't even sure if he's breathing anymore. A few ticks pass and yet nothing happens Lance’s finger rests tensely on the trigger of his bayard as he exchanges looks with Hunk.

“You know, I’m okay with Aliens. But I did _not_ sign up for ghosts. Can we hurry up?” The blue paladin grouses, eyes flitting around warily. Despite them rolling their eyes at him, their footsteps quicken. They had been on similar missions before (Usually with Shiro present and leading them) but this base seems different. Hunk had discovered it with Pidge's aid as they were filtering data they had previously collected. This place had been abandoned recently, according to information, making it a perfect target.

The further they continue, the worse the dread in Keith’s chest got. He makes sure he doesn't show any unease, as their ~~temporary~~ leader he needed to be strong for his team. After turning down a few hallways, they reach the control room and the door closes behind them. The tension dissipates a little.

“That was so unnecessarily spooky. Like yeah, this used to be a place where space creeps hang out but _does it really have to be that creepy_?” Hunk’s voice rings out as Pidge darts over to the system’s control. Lance makes some sort of remark which Keith blocks out as he presses his palm to the pad, unlocking the system for Pidge.

“At least it's empty. I prefer creepy rather than fighting for my life." Pidge retorts and adjusts their glasses on their nose, letting out a little hum. "You know, you’d think they’d be smart enough to destroy these places, considering how much information is stored in these systems..” Pidge comments lightly, their fingers tap away at the keyboard, working at transferring data. Their nose wrinkles slightly in concentration as Hunk stares over their shoulder at the computer’s screen.

“Who says they’re smart?” Lance snickers as he stands guard at the door, peering into the hallway before looking back at them with an impish grin. “I mean, look at Keith.” Hunk muffles a snort in his hand, glancing over at the two. Their banter had long since lost it's bite. Even though neither would admit it, they had both warmed up to each other as time went on. With that said, Keith walks over to him and whacks him in the head.

“Hey!” He squawks indignantly, rubbing the back of his head and pouting at the other. Keith simply shrugs apathetically, ignoring the blue eyes feigning hurt.

“Sorry, my hand must have slipped.” He hums and flexes his hand, walking back over to where Pidge sits. Lance is mid-stomp when there’s a worrying noise. A metallic groan echoes chillingly throughout the base and all of their actions cease.

“Pidge,” Keith warns, “Let’s speed this up a little, yeah?”

“I’m working on it!” They bite out, fingers flying across the keys and glasses flashing in the light of their screen. There’s another odd groaning noise, then a crash. The entire ship shudders and Lance and Keith both ready their weapons.

Hunk is glancing around nervously, his bayard in hand as well. “That’s not a good noise.”

Lance is peering out into the hallway again, alert and searching for any sign of Galran soldiers heading their way. “How much longer?”

“I just need a few minutes!” The loading bar was stuck at 95%, taking it’s sweet time, and Pidge can’t really do much to make it go faster at this point. They huff in annoyance, fingers tapping restlessly at their knees.

The control panel suddenly sparked and flashed red, startling the paladins. A deafening siren rang out and lights were flashing, and that's when things really startd going downhill.

"Pidge just take what you have and let's go, we can't risk being here any longer!" Keith orders and hears Lance firing off shots down the hall, wiping out 3 soldiers that were heading towards them.

Pidge grits their teeth and huffs, cutting off the data transfer and packing up. "Why does this _always_ happen?!"

Hunk joined Lance out in the hall, shots echoing relentlessly. Blood red lights flash overhead as Keith and Pidge run out to join them. Pidge shouts at them to haul ass and Lance takes one last shot, killing two Galra at once. Lance's narrowed eyes light up in triumph for a moment and it's definitely apparent why he owns the title of the team's sharpshooter. Keith _almost_ impressed, before he remembers that definitely does _not_ like Lance at all, whatsoever. Lance catches his eye and he winks like the smug little shit he is. Keith will get him back for that later, but for now, they need to worry about escaping.

"We should split up, everyone meet back at the lions!" Keith shouts as he fights off a rather persistent soldier, and Pidge and Hunk both nod in affirmative, heading in the opposite direction. He knows they can hold their own.

A few minutes later, Keith and Lance are leaning breathlessly against a wall. They've-thankfully-either lost the soldiers or wiped them out. Lance is tugging at the neckline of his suit, huffing something about armor being too suffocating. Keith is too tired to respond, patting Lance on the shoulder before straightening and running his fingers through his dark hair. "We should keep going, we should only be a few minutes from the lions. Come on." Lance groans and nods. They start towards where they entered earlier but a shot rings out, and suddenly Keith is on his knees. He thinks he hears someone shout and he looks down, red seeping steadily through his suit. That when the wave of pain hits him.

Keith has been shot.


	2. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is hurt and Lance freaks out (in a different way than expected).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR ALL THE POSITIVE FEED BACK EVERYONE!!! <3

Lance heard the soldier but was too late to stop him, the only thing he could do was cry out for the red paladin. In a single moment, Keith was on his knees, wincing in pain and staring down almost unseeingly at the wound. Lance’s instincts take over and he lifts his bayard, fury pumping through his veins as he takes Keith’s attacker down. He’s ready to grab Keith and bolt, but Galran soldiers are rushing in and he’s slammed against a wall, his bayard knocked from his grasp.

He’s thrashing, shouting insult after insult at them. A soldier strikes him, demanding he quiet but then...Lance catches sight of Keith. There are four soldiers surrounding him, one pressing his boot into his bleeding wound maliciously.

And Lance _loses it_.

Keith was just struggling to stay conscious, pain throbbing throughout his body. He can hear Lance swearing violently to his left and the sound of a punch landing. Keith tries to get up, to grab his bayard, to do _something_. But a Galran soldier presses him back down, with his boot directly against his wound. He groans and tries to protect his middle, glaring up at them. The soldier seems to find it funny and he presses harder, leaving Keith gasping and disoriented.

His ears register Lance’s voice. In all the time Keith has known Lance, he has never seen him really angry, but right now he can tell Lance is _furious._ His eyes are closed but behind his eyelids he sees a flash of bright light. When his eyes reopen, the painful pressure in his side has lifted and the soldiers that had previously surrounded him are slumped against the wall, either dead or unconscious. Keith’s head is swimming and when he turns back to Lance, the air is his lungs disappear. His eyes are glowing fierce blue and his hand is outstretched, with the same blue colored light fading from his palm. Everything about him is different and yet the same.

A soldier sneaks up behind Lance and Keith lets out a strangled noise of warning but Lance just shuts his eyes and sighs in annoyance. The soldier stops. Literally frozen in place. Still determined, another pair lunges at Lance. With a single swatting motion and a burst of aqua light, they are blasted back into a wall so hard, it dents. That must have been what the flash of light he saw earlier.

At this point, Keith is pretty freaking sure he's hallucinating. He blinks his eyes hard and rubs at them, but the scene stays the same.

He can see Lance’s chest heaving from where he is, his eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched as he tries to calm himself. Lance can still feel the anger pounding in his blood and the magic flowing freely in his veins. He has to control it- _he has to control it_. The words repeat in his head. Keith is staring at him, he can feel it and he calms enough to head over to him.

“Lance-” Keith starts unsurely but Lance shushes him, kneeling in front of him. He’s in pain and confused, unsure whether Lance is to be considered dangerous at the moment. But then Lance meets his eyes, which are still faintly luminescent, but still distinctly _Lance_. “Keith, you’re losing a lot of blood..” Lance starts, voice wavering slightly. “I can help you, but I need you to trust me.”

Keith takes a shuddering breath and hesitates, the air heavy around him. Finally he nods an affirmative. If it were anyone else, he would have said no. He would be trying to put as much distance between him and them as possible, but it’s _Lance_ for Christ’s sake. Despite just showing so much power, he had looked so vulnerable just now, as if he expected Keith to turn on him.

Lance now wears an expression of relief and let’s out a breath he had been hold. “Alright.” He murmurs, more to himself than to Keith, and flexes his fingers. “Brace yourself.” He says and glances up at Keith briefly. Keith is in the midst of wondering how the hell he's meant to do that when suddenly Lance presses his palm to the wound and Keith stifles a cry of pain, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and clenching his jaw.

"Just breathe Keith." Lance says soothingly, his palms beginning to glow. Keith does and gradually, the pain fades. He feels warmth in its place and gasps, staring up at Lance, whose eyes are closed in concentration. Keith can feel the gash healing until it’s completely gone. When Lance opens his eyes again, he looks tired but nervous as he awaits Keith's reaction, the otherworldly glow gone from his eyes.

When Lance moves his hand from his side, Keith checks and his pale skin shows no sign of ever being blasted by a homicidal alien.

“How..” Keith trails off, staring at Lance in utter bewilderment. “What _are_ you?" Keith questions, eyebrows furrowed and eyes confused. Lance flinches slightly and opens his mouth to respond but a loud noise interrupts him.

“ _-nce!_ _Lance! Where are you guys??”_ Pidge’s voices rings out, startling them both slightly.

"Pidge!” His voice cracks slightly and he clears his throat, avoiding Keith’s stare. “We..ran into trouble, but we’re heading there now. We'll see you soon." He says then turns off his com, letting out a heavy sigh. He avoids Keith’s eyes and stands, looking off to the exit door. “We should go, come on.” He says and offers Keith a hand. Keith stands on his own, eager to not feel so weak anymore and yet again surprised that there's absolutely no pain where the wound once was. He doesn't notice how Lance's face falls slightly and his outstretched hand falls back down to his side.

They make it to their Lions and are greeted by Hunk and Pidge, who recount how they outwitted Galran soldiers with the "power of science". Lance laughs and acts just as he normally does and it bewilders Keith to no end. Hunk notices how quiet Keith is and asks about it but he brushes him off. With everybody safe, they head back to the castle.

Keith waits for Lance to say something, or to at least look his way.

But he never does.


	3. Avoidance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the last mission, Lance avoids Keith and Keith TOTALLY isn't bothered at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I just couldn't get it the way I wanted it so I had to rewrite it haha. Anyways, enjoy!!!

After that mission, Lance avoids Keith like the plague. He doesn’t smile at him, he doesn’t engage in their normal playful banter, and he doesn’t even spare a glance in Keith’s direction. A day where Lance isn’t annoying the hell out of him should be great, but it just makes Keith feel worried. He wants to say something to Lance but every time Keith enters a room, he ducks out or tries to pretend Keith isn’t there.

It really shouldn’t affect him so much. He shouldn’t miss his stupid smile or his stupid jokes or his stupid casual touches. But he does anyways. His stomach churns and his fists clench whenever he sees the other and it’s sort of painful. The tension between them is definitely noticeable and slowly, the others began to notice. Coran is the first one to realize something is up with the two of them (of course) and pulls Keith to the side, curious and concerned.

Keith doesn’t tell him about what happened last mission. He feels the urge to tell him everything, but he resist. He doesn’t say that Lance is some sort of wizard or something and has magic blue powers. He doesn’t tell Coran about the look in Lance’s eye when Keith got hurt. He doesn’t talk about how Lance healed him. Instead lies and attempts to smile reassuringly at him, but Coran doesn’t look convinced. Later he talks to Lance as well, but he just laughs awkwardly and dismisses the idea that anything's wrong. The others slowly start to notice too, and Keith just wants to crawl into a black hole and disappear. Hunk tries his best to incorporate Keith into his conversations with Lance, but he still avoids talking to him and ignores the disapproving look Hunk sends him. To make things worse, he can tell Lance happy either.

He tries to seem indifferent, but when Keith speaks or enters the same room as him, his body tenses and a pained look flashes in his eyes for a moment. Sometimes Keith catches his eyes but Lance quickly looks away. He hates it. ~~_He misses him_~~.

He knows why Lance is doing this, and a part of him understands and is reminded of when he had a secret to hide. The other part of him just wants to yell at Lance. It’s not like he hasn’t tried to talk to him but Lance always finds some way to weasel out of it.

So in summary, they’re both sort of pitiful and sad.  

After week of avoidance and sad glances at each other, the others decide to take matters into their own hands. They had talked about the relationship of the two paladins before and came to the conclusion that things would resolve themselves. They were wrong. A week passed since that mission and the two of them are still stuck at a stand still. No one quite understand what happened between the two but they are all getting sick of their angst pretty quick. So they do the only logical, adult-like thing they can think of.

    They sit down with them and have a mature conversation about feelings and what it means to be friends/teammates.

    HAHA! Just kidding!

Pidge locks them in a room together and refuses to let them out until they “get their shit together”! The last thing they see is the evil glint in their glasses before the boys are shoved into one of the unused rooms and the door slams shut. They can hear Hunk yell a half hearted sorry through the door before they leave them.

“Hey! Let me out!” Lance squawks and pounds at the door for a solid minute. “Pidge, come on!!” He shouts, huffing and kicking the door in annoyance. “Stupid alien-space-castle-door!!”

“Will you stop that? They’re not gonna let us out until we talk.” Keith snaps in irritation and crosses his arms. To be honest, Keith is secretly grateful for Pidge’s attempt to force them to talk. All he wants is for things to go back to the way they were before.

Lance quiets and for a moment, Keith thinks he’s going to ignore him. “We don’t need to talk.” Lance grumbles, huffing and leaning his head against the metal door in defeat.

“Uh, yeah we do.” Keith retorts, looking over at the other impatiently. “Starting with what happened last mission.”

He can see Lance stiffen a little. “I saved your stupid mullet, there’s nothing else to discuss.” He sniffs and shrugs, still facing the door and silently praying they’ll unlock. Maybe they’ll get a distress signal and be forced to let out!

Keith makes an incredulous noise and waves his arms slightly. “You wiped out a bunch of Galran soldiers _without even touching them!_ ”

Lance lets out a laugh, high and sort of panicked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lance says (rather unconvincingly) and in an instant, Keith’s patience is lost.  

Keith fists connects with the wall in anger and Lance jumps, finally turning to look at the other. “Jesus Christ Lance, why can’t you just talk to me?!I” He shouts, frustration building in his chest. A guilty look flashes across Lance’s face before he opens his mouth and closes it again, trying to find something to say. There’s really no point denying this any longer. He isn’t sure why he thought avoiding the subject-and Keith-was such a good idea in the first place.

“You weren’t supposed to find out, okay?? No one was.. I just-” He struggles to string words together, making a strangled noise of frustration. He feels frazzled and 100% unprepared to have this talk. He’s going to murder Pidge when he gets out of this room. “I don’t wanna think about it, I don’t wanna acknowledge it, and I just wanna forget about it, alright?” He chokes out and Keith seems to sense his distress, his stance a little less aggressive.

“Well you have to.” Keith says firmly. “Do you really think ignoring something like that is going to make it go away? Why is it so bad anyways? You saved my life.”

Lance is walking back and forth across the room, his hands tangled in his hair and his eyebrows furrowed. “It’s because of how I did it! I try not to use magic because it’s volatile and dangerous but I panicked because you got hurt and now everything is screwed up!”

Keith is silent for a moment, taking everything in. “So it’s magic then.” Keith accepts this with surprising ease. I mean, they pilot robotic sentient lions in space with aliens, Keith has learned to keep an open mind. “You used it to save my life and you controlled it pretty well then. Maybe you just need to practice using it?” He asks tentatively and watches as Lance shakes his head.

“Maybe.. It’s just, I can’t explain it.. I don’t have full control over it. It’s connected to my emotions and instincts and I can’t usually control it. ” Lance pauses and stops pacing, standing in front of Keith and taking a deep breath. “What happened when you got hurt..” He trails off for a moment, giving Keith a hopeless look that makes his heart ache. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just _angry_ and then my instincts took over. You saw what happened! Magic is dangerous, _I’m_ _dangerous._ What if I end up hurting someone, or worse-.”Lance rambles before Keith cuts him off.

“You won’t hurt anyone. You said it’s emotion and instinct based right? You care too deeply about others to ever hurt them. I don’t think you could even if you tried.” Keith says with a small grin. “And besides, we’re a team..You don’t have to work through things by yourself.” He adds and in what he hopes to be a comforting gesture, gently squeezes Lance’s shoulder.

Lance feels like a giant weight has been lifted from his chest and lets out a huge sigh, relaxing slowly. “I’m sorry I acted like such a jerk..After what happened..I didn’t know how to face you, or explain what happened so I panicked...It was dumb.” He murmurs quietly, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly.

“The only thing that freaked me out was the lack of your annoying presence” Keith hums noncommittally and Lance blinks at him, then lets out a laugh, warm and genuine. _God Keith had missed that sound-_

Lance smiles at him and gasps mockingly, his hands going up to his cheeks in “shock”. “You totally missed me!”

The accused scoffs and rolls his eyes, despite the warmth growing in his chest. “Don’t push it alright?”

“D’aww, don’t worry Keith, it was boring without you anyways.” He chuckles and pats Keith on the shoulder.

And with that, the a soft click echoes across the room. The door is unlocked.


	4. Getting Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith coaxes Lance into training with his magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read my story! It's very appreciated!

After those doors opened, things went back to the way they were before, but better. Lance went back to joking and smiling and laughing with Keith but then he also showed him parts of himself Keith had never even dreamed he would see. Keith got to see what Lance was like, unguarded and without secrets. Not even Hunk got to see that and it pleased Keith a _little_ more than it should have.

Lance is the epitome of the phrase “more than what meets the eye”. It makes sense that he was the blue paladin, guardian spirit of water because like the ocean, Lance had many secrets and was utterly mystifying. Before, Keith thought he had Lance pegged pretty well from the start. Obnoxious, egotistical, and overly flirtatious.

But now he knows more. He know when things get stressful, Lance cracks jokes and makes a fool of himself to distract the others. He knows Lance is really good at hiding things when he needs to be. He knows that Lance goes to the observatory and stares at the stars for hours at a time, marveling at the celestial spheres with unending appreciation. He enjoys being able to witness the deeper layers of Lance. He enjoys being close to him.

Unknown to Keith, Lance feels rather similar. It's nice to be so unguarded with him, and in turn to have Keith be so open to him.They fell into a sort of rhythm with one and other, as if they had always been so close. It felt natural. If he would have known how things would turn out, he would have told Keith his secret sooner..

* * *

They had just gotten done with a team training exercise, Hunk and Pidge left to get cleaned up considering how sweaty and tired they were after. Lance was going to follow them out but Keith grabbed him by the back of his jacket and tugged him back in. Lance lets out a little yelp of surprise.

“We aren’t done here.” Keith says, letting go as Lance turns to face him.

Lance straightens his jacket and looks at Keith incredulously. “Wait, what are we doing? We just got done training!” Lance whines and pouts petulantly at Keith. They had just got done with two whole hours of team exercises. Lance wanted to relax but now he has a feeling that's not going to happen.

“Yes we did. But I have an idea.” Keith says and take Lance’s bayard from him, setting it aside. Confusion shows on the other’s face as Keith does this, but he lets him do it anyways. “You’re going to practice using your magic against the training bots.” Keith announces and claps the other on the back, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Suddenly the confusion is gone and replaced with apprehension and Lance shifts uncomfortably.

“I-I don’t think this is a good idea..” He trails off, obviously anxious and glancing longingly at the exit.

“Come on Lance, just try it.” Keith implores, grabbing Lance by his hood and lightly tugging him towards where the targets are set up.

“ _K_ _eith,_ come on. Can’t we just go find the others and eat food goo?” He whines, half heartedly resisting against Keith. "Ever heard of relaxing?"

Keith rolls his eyes a bit and stops when they are standing a few feet away from the targets. “You’re never going to learn to control it if you don’t practice.” He chides and Lance scowls.

“You sound like Shiro.” He sniffs petulantly and crosses his arms.

“Patience yields focus.” Keith says with mock seriousness, expression blank and pulling a little laugh from Lance. Keith grins a bit. “Come on, what do you have to lose? You won’t master it overnight, but it’s somewhere to start at least.”

Lance sighs, looking towards the targets. Keith waits.

“..Alright fine. Just stay out of the way in case something happens, okay?” Lance grouses reluctantly, pushing up his sleeves slightly. Keith nods and stands back, standing by the wall a few feet away from Lance.

"All you need to do is take out those targets.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Lance shoots back, pushing his jacket sleeves up to his elbows and grinning slightly. Of course he’s still nervous, but he’s trying his best to push through it. Keith scoffs but stays silent as he sees Lance readying himself.

He wiggles his fingers and tries to swallow down the apprehension he feels, then summoning what resides within him. He closes his eyes and allows himself to feel his magic, warm and lively in his chest, instead of suppressing it. His eyes begin to glow and he takes a shaky breath, spreading his hands and focusing. He can feel his magic unfurling and spreading throughout his body, and he calms a little. So far, so good.

Lance looks out at what he needs to hit. The targets are black silhouetted cutouts, sort of like something you’d see at a shooting range. It’s not moving and Lance isn’t too far from it, so he should be able to hit it. That is, if his magic would freaking cooperate.

It’s hard, Keith can tell. He sees how hard Lance is trying, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Sometimes his nose wrinkles and his fingers twitch as little sparks start to zip between his palms. Energy starts to gather between his palms, and it remind Keith of what a star looks like up close. A ball of churning light and heat. At one point, the energy flies out towards the targets, but misses them by a couple feet. Lance lets out a huff of breath and tries again. And again. And again, with frustration slowly building within him.

Keith watches as Lance struggles, observing and mentally noting a few things that seem important for future reference. After a while of trying, the only results he gets are less than satisfying. Sometimes the magic that is propelled from his palms is powerful but unaimed or weak and aimed. Both suck basically.

He lets out a noise of frustration and throws his hands up, eyes annoyed yet luminescent. “You know what, I give up! This isn’t working!” He groans, looking over at Keith. Keith hums quietly and walks over to him.

“The way you’re going about it has to be wrong.” He comments, eyes raking over Lance’s figure as he thinks. He notices Lance’s eyes flare in annoyance at his words and the blue paladin huffs.

“What’s the right way then??” He asks irately. He doesn't understand why he can’t control it. It’s _his_ magic. Why won’t it obey him? He used it just fine on that last mission, when Keith was in trouble. He had no problem taking out those soldiers. But now that he’s trying to actually do it on purpose, it isn’t working!

“I have a few theories, but we can talk about them later.” Keith hums, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Let’s put this on pause for now and go find the others, okay?” Keith offers him a gentle smile, and it soothes Lance slightly. With a slight nod, Lance grabs his forgotten bayard and blinks away the lingering glow in his eyes, his magic settling back calming in his chest. He pauses for a second, looking over at where Keith is waiting for him by the door.

He’s glad that he has Keith to help him with this. Keeping this secret alone was beginning to take a toll on him, not that he showed that openly. Somehow, Keith makes him feel saner and stronger. Keith violet eyes catches his gaze and that jerks him out of his reverie, prompting him to jog over to him. “Ready?” He asks, an eyebrow quirked curiously at him. Lance grins and nods.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

 

"Hey guys! We were wondering where you two went off to!” Hunk says and looks over at them with a warm grin.

“We were at the training deck, messing around.” Keith says offhandedly before sitting down.

Pidge looks up from whatever gadget they're working on and stares at Lance. “Since when do you train more than what’s required?”

Pidge is one to watch out for. Their extremely perceptive and any slip ups could cause them to get suspicious, and investigate.  Lance drapes himself next to Keith on the couch, swinging his feet into the other’s lap. “Really?” Keith huffs and glares at the other before shoving his feet off. Lance smiles innocently and puts his feet back right where they were.

“ _Can you not-”_  Keith starts but is interrupted by Lance responding to Pidge.

"I challenged Keith to a sparring match.” He lies smoothly, grinning as Keith doesn’t move his feet again.

"He lost.” Keith states and leans his cheek on his fist, smirking slightly. Lance splutters indignantly and the others laugh.

“You’re such a liar!” He whines, and technically he isn’t wrong. His child like annoyance is rather amusing. Pidge and Hunk are laughing unabashedly, while Allura is doing her best not to chuckle behind her hand. Lance grabs a pillow and buries his face in it, sulking. Keith laughs, genuine and warm and Lance is pretty sure his heart skipped a beat.

Or two. Lance is glad his face is hidden.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get better.” He adds lightly and pats his leg, the double meaning in the words reaching Lance. For a moment he peers up from the pillow at Keith and immediately ducks his head again when he catches the other’s eyes out of embarrassment. He can see Lance’s red tipped ears and he mumbles incoherently into the pillow’s surface, mildly flustered even though he doesn't understand why. It’s definitely _not_ cute.

Across from them, Pidge and Hunk exchange knowing looks.

It’s nice to relax with them for a little. Keith watches as Lance jokes around with Pidge and Hunk, laughing and smiling so brightly he has to look away. He knows his cheeks are pink and he tries his best not to draw attention to himself. Occasionally, he is dragged into the conversation, usually by Lance who begs him to back him up in arguments against Pidge and Hunk.

The rest of the night is relaxed and the atmosphere is very...warm. It reminds Keith of a home he never had. A home he had always wished for. Sure things were rocky for a while, but now Keith feels like things are going to get better.

They’ll be okay.


	5. Lost & Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is struggling with his emotions, while Lance is just now getting the hang of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys! FYI, This is s o much pining and angst, just s o m u c h

It’s 2 o’clock in the morning-Earth time-when Keith thinks he hears a knock on his room door. Don’t ask him why he’s awake to hear it.

He pauses and listens careful to see if he imagined it. There’s another soft set of knocks and he sighs, heading to the door and opening it. He expects it to be Lance, bright-eyed and excited about something ridiculous.

To his surprise it’s not Lance. It’s Pidge.

“We need to talk.” They say and Keith feels himself tense instinctively. When did those words ever lead to anything good?

“..What about?” He asks cautiously, eyes wary. Pidge just smiles and adjusts their glasses on the bridge of their nose, body language calm and amicable. But their brown eyes tell a different story. Pidge is looking for answers, and he knows they won’t stop until they get them.

Keith wonders if he can escape this talk and hide himself in a healing pod or something.

"It’s about Lance.” They hum lightly, waving a hand dismissively. “Can I come in?”

Keith feels his heart jump at Lance’s name, mind racing.

“Yeah, sure.” He nods and steps aside, letting them in compliantly and after, closing the door. Pidge immediately heads for his bed, plopping down on it and crossing their legs comfortably.

“Gee, make yourself at home Pidge.” He says sarcastically and makes a broad gesture to the rest of the room.

Pidge grins and chuckle lightly. “Oh don’t worry, I am.” He just rolls his eyes and sits on the bed next to them, pulling his legs up and crossing them as well.

“So.” He drawls, quirking an eyebrow at them, wait for them to talk.

“So.” Pidge parrots, head nodding and eyebrows furrowing. “I’ll get right down to it. I think Lance may be hiding something.” They state bluntly and Keith jolts slightly, mind racing. Lance and Keith both had been very careful with their actions, so not to arouse any suspicion of Lance’s...gift.

“With that said, I also think you know what it is.” They add, eyes narrowed and intense on Keith. He shifts uncomfortably, feeling like they’re seeing right through him, into his thoughts.

“O-kay then?” He says, voice lilting in confusion. “I don’t think I know what you’re talking about.” He lies, ignoring the mild twinge of guilt.

“I expected that response.” Pidge hums mildly, leaning their cheek on their fist.

“You two have gotten pretty..close over the past few weeks, right?” They comment casually and Keith feels pink creep up the back of his neck.

Keith calms himself and gives a slight shrug, trying not to do anything that will give Pidge brain fuel and schooling his expression into neutrality and his posture relaxed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Before you guys got close, you had that big fight. What was that about anyways?” They inquire and openly study the other. Pidge knows that Keith understand he’s being interrogated, there’s no use in subtleties.  

Keith shrugs and looks down, fiddling with a loose thread on his blankets. “The usual. Lance was getting on my nerves so I retaliated, then we started arguing and we took things a little too far.” He says simply, looking back at Pidge. Keith is an expert liar, and Pidge is a literal lie detector.

This should be interesting.

“You guys make up after fights way sooner. Last time was bigger than your usual rivalry.” Pidge says, unconvinced.

“Since when are you a “Keith and Lance” expert?” He snaps in only mild annoyance, feeling defensive suddenly. Pidge takes that with a grain of sand and shrugs.

“When you’re stuck on a alien castle with the same people for long periods of time, you learn things about them fairly quick.” They grin victoriously. “So, what really happened? You found out Lance’s secret didn’t you?” They lean forward slightly, eyes glinting in interest.

He has to stop and think for a moment, wondering how to proceed. This isn’t his secret to tell and he knows that Lance would be horribly upset if Keith told them without his permission.

He decides to go for the honest approach.

Keith sighs. “Okay, yes, I found out Lance’s secret.” He admits and Pidge fist pumps the air.

"Yes, I knew it!” They crow victoriously. “But what the heck is it?” Pidge asks curiously.

“I can’t say.” He states firmly and shakes his head.

“C’mon Keith, please?” They whine, tugging on his arm pleadingly.

“Pidge, when I found out, he avoided me _for an entire week_ . He couldn’t even look at me he was so upset. I thought he would never talk to me again..” Keith sighs, frowning as he remembers how upset he was during that time. "Now imagine how he’d react if _you_ found out by anyone but him.”

Pidge pauses, giving this serious thought and frowning. Their shoulders sag slightly and they sigh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right..Can I just ask one thing?”

Keith hesitates but nods.

“He’s okay right? He’s not like, hurting, is he?” They ask hesitantly, losing the cool and intelligent vibe. “Hunk and I have been talking about it lately, and normally I wouldn’t be concerned. Then Hunk told me that Lance has..a past of sorts.”

Curiosity pricks at Keith’s mind and he frowns lightly. “What past?” He asks, and Pidge shifts a little.

“A..concerning past. Hunk only told me a little, but I just..wanna make sure he’s okay.” They look down and fiddle with the hem of their shirt, looking troubled. Pidge is worried, and Keith understands.

“Lance is tough, he’s fine. If I thought that idiot was in an danger, I’d definitely say something.” He reassures them, ruffling their hair playfully. They smile a little and nod.

“Okay. Okay good.” They sigh in relief, relaxing slowly. Suddenly they get an odd look on their face, soft and knowing.

“I’m glad you’re there for him.” Pidge says softly and Keith is mildly stunned, cheeks going pink. 

Why does he feel like they’re implying something?

_~~Is Keith really that transparent?~~ _

He clears his throat and shrugs, standing and brushing off the mixture of weird emotions caught in his chest.

“Someone has to make sure he’s not gonna screw everything up.” He tsks and Pidge giggles. Keith grins. “Now be gone gremlin, you should be sleeping.” He pokes them as they stand, earning himself a half-hearted death glare.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” They yawn as if on command, batting his finger away. “See ya!” They wave lightly as they head out the door. Keith sighs quietly as he’s left alone again. Maybe he should be sleeping too.

* * *

 

The next morning, Keith is irate and sleepy. Two things that should not be combined within the red paladin. He couldn’t sleep all night due to stupid unwanted thoughts whirling around his head. Guess what those thoughts were about?   

Lance. Of course.

The bad thing about Lance and him being so close now, is the plain fact that it’s a million times harder to ignore his feelings for him.

Yes, he may have a minor crush.

A slight infatuation.

It’ll pass...Or so he hopes.

Before, when they were “rivals”, Keith could just avoid Lance, try to forget about his existence. He could shove his feelings in a box and pretend to hate him.

But now, Lance seems to always be around him, touching him, talking to him, _smiling at him_.

Keith doesn’t know how to cope.

He sits at the table during breakfast, leaving his food goo untouched as he discreetly gazes at Lance from across the table. Hunk is telling a story about the duo’s adventures from the Garrison and from time to time Lance interrupts, adding bits and pieces Hunk seems to miss during his storytelling. Pidge and Coran listen with unbridled amusement.

And sometimes, Lance just _glows._

His eyes are so full of emotion and his smile is so full of warmth, and Keith can’t look away. He doesn’t seem to realize the affect he has on the red paladin, or people in general.

He brings out the good in everyone, makes them happy. It’s incredible.

And even worse, now Lance is looking at him and smiling and the wind is knocked out of his chest. Keith sort of wants to melt into a puddle.

He flushes as he finds himself staring into the oceanic eyes of the other, and Lance is staring back, still smiling so warmly and _he cannot take this any longer._ He tears his eyes away, mildly panicked and excuses himself from the table, mumbling something nearly incoherent about training and hurrying away.

Lance blinks in confusion.

Pidge smirks.

* * *

When Lance finds Keith, he’s in the training deck, fighting hard against a gladiator.

Of course he wins, panting and sweaty in the middle of the training room.

“Show off!” Lance shouts at him teasingly from the door. Keith startles in surprise and looks over at him, lips twitching into a smile. But then the smile falls off his face and he ducks his head, sheathing his bayard.

Lance notices and frowns a little, heading over to him with curious eyes. “You okay, man?” He asks gently.

Keith had been acting a little off lately, but it seemed like the usual Keith-angst.

Was something wrong? Did Lance do something wrong?

Keith nods jerkily and steels himself enough to look up at the other, stomach twisting at the concern on his face. “M’fine. What are you doing here?” He says, almost sharply.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Lance shrugged and tried not to take Keith’s bad mood to heart. “I came here to train.” He says simply. “No one else will be in here for a while now, so I figured it’d be a good time for magic practice.” He explains. _And Pidge told him he’d be here-_

Keith nods and sighs, Lance often trains with his magic early in the mornings, or late at night. He should have known he’d find his way there eventually.

“If you want, I can come back later?” Lance asks awkwardly, noticing Keith’s silent brooding. Keith shakes his head hurriedly.

“No, no, it’s fine." Keith says and pauses briefly. "Do you want me to stay with you?” He asks and Lance smiles sheepishly.

“If you don’t mind?” He says quietly and honestly, how could Keith say no? Lance had tried to train without Keith once, but the anxiety got to him and he just couldn't do it. It was too overwhelming. Of course, he never told Keith about that.

Keith makes him feel grounded when he uses magic. Like a reminder of what he’s doing this for. In a way, Keith is his anchor. He knows if Keith is there, he’ll be careful and he won’t allow the magic to consume him (which is a huge fear of his). His instinct to protect Keith overpowers everything else.

And thankfully Keith nods, staying with him. He stands off to the side quietly as Lance sets up the cut outs, a little nervous as usual.

Then he goes to the middle of the room like he always does.

But then..something feels different. Lance seems different.

He has a look in his eyes, confident and determined, like he knows exactly what he’s doing. His back straightens and his lips purse softly, and Keith is enamored.

He can feel Keith’s eyes on him but doesn’t allow that to distract him as he begins to summon his magic.

He clears his head and wiggles his fingers a little, feeling his eyes spark to life with a fiery blue. He has a new strategy to try.

So far, trying to control his magic through logic and thought haven’t worked and suddenly _it just came to him._ He’s going to focus on his emotions.

He saved Keith because of his instincts. His emotions were raging.

He has to call on that, his emotions and let them carry him.

His eyes burn with intensity and he lets the close, holding his palms out towards the targets. Magic isn’t science- and that’s how he’s been trying to understand it as this whole time.

Trying to understand logically how it works and how to use it, like an instrument.

It’s the opposite really. There’s not an ounce of logic in it, it’s uncontainable emotion and raw power, it can’t be conquered by thought. He has to _feel_ it and _use_ it. Simple as that.

His magic stirs in the cage of his ribs, livelier than ever. He takes a deep shuddering breath.

He thinks of his family. He would do anything and everything to protect them. He thinks of his friends, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Shiro, and Coran. They'd also become his family and he’d give his life for theirs without a second thought. And then he thinks of _Keith_.

His magic swells and glows brightly and he doesn’t fight it, allowing it to flow freely from his fingertips to his toes.

 _Keith._ What is Keith to him?

Somehow, friend just doesn’t cut it.

A sort of wind picks up and Keith stares from where he stands at the side of the room, violet eyes wide at the show of power. _How the hell..?_

Lance doesn’t realize it, but the lights overhead are flicking sporadically and dimming, the lights from his palm illuminating the room with blue. He emanates power, so much Keith can feel it brush against his skin and he shivers.

Then Lance opens his eyes, hair ruffled from the air swirling around him. Keith is utterly breathless.

He knocks out all six of the black targets, hitting them with orbs of blue and burning through them like nothing. They leave scorch marks on the wall behind where the targets are stationed. They'll have to fix that later.

His magic is _burning_ , bright and nearly overwhelming. Lance just takes a few deep breaths, feeling the magic settle in his chest with it’s task fulfilled.

Keith is in shock as Lance’s eyes dim and his body relax, returning to normal.

Faintly, Lance hears Coran over the castle’s speakers, ordering an urgent meeting,

The wind stops.

Things calm and still. Neither of them move.

Then Lance passes out.


	6. Consciousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance recovers and they both continue to obliviously pine over each other.

When Lance wakes up for the first time, he’s stumbling weakly out of the healing pod. His legs feel unsteady and weak and his head is throbbing fiercely. He manages to stay upright for about two seconds before his knees buckle, and he braces himself to hit the hard ground.

But someone catches him.

He feels arms wrap around his waist and gently lower him to the ground so he’s sitting, leaned against them. He tries to look and see who it is, but a sharp pain flares behind his eyes.

Lance makes a pained noise as eyes close of their own volition. The lights are too bright, too overwhelming. _Aren’t healing pods supposed to, I don’t know, heal you???_ He wonders to himself.

“ _Lance_?” A voice sounds beside him, and he can feel the words vibrate in the other’s chest, hands pressed gently to his back. He can hear the worry in their voice.

“ _Lance, are you okay?_ ”

The voice isn’t too loud (thank god) and is low, comforting even. It’s familiar. He’s too out of it to decipher who it belongs to but the boy’s name is just on the tip of his tongue. The only thing he knows is that the name is vaguely..red? No, that doesn’t make sense, names don’t have colors. Nevertheless, name reminds him of red.

So who is it?

Lance turns his head away from the bright lights and into the shoulder of the person holding him. “..Hurts-” Is the only thing he can manage as he squeezes his eyes shut again. For a moment he feels like the room is spinning around him, and it’s definitely not pleasant.  

He hears other voices pipe up, but he’s too absorbed in the pain thrumming through his skull to listen to what they say. There are footsteps and a soft click.

When he opens his eyes again, the lights are dimmed and he sighs in relief, the tension in him relaxing slightly. He glances around briefly and he makes out a few faces. Pidge and Coran are there. They look worried and Lance wants to reach out to them or say something, but he’s so dizzy and exhausted he just _can’t_.

Bits and pieces of their conversation registers in Lance’s head.

"He may be out of the pod, but he still needs rest-”

“-be okay though?

“I’ll take him to his room-”

“We have to talk about this, if what Allura said is true-”

Their words are fading in and out, blurring together in his head.

“We’ll talk alright? When he wakes up.” Lance blinks hazily at who’s talking.

_Ah._

Even with his vision sort of out of focus, he can still see who it is.

Black hair. Violet eyes. Pale skin. That stupid mullet.

Of course it’s Keith. Who else would it be?

Then he feels a hand loop around his back and under his knees, and he’s being cradled in someone’s arms. The sudden motion makes Lance squeeze his eyes shut extra tight, waves of nausea crashing over him. Keith notices and pauses for a second, letting Lance adjust.

Keith can’t help but notice how pale he looks, and pretends not to notice that he’s so tense he’s shivering. “M’fine.” Lance mumbles and nods, resting his head on Keith’s shoulder. He looks back down at him, eyes soft with concern as he starts to walk.

Lance feels mild embarrassment that he has to be carried because he’s so weak. If he was in less pain he would care more, but now he’s just trying to focus on not throwing up.

It’s quiet, the red paladin is wrapped up in his thoughts. When Lance looks up at him, he can practically see the worry rolling off him in waves. Despite this, Lance can’t help but be struck by how pretty Keith is. Fair skin (and he doesn’t even use face masks!!) and cool eyes. It’s pretty unfair to the rest of us average people.

Keith snorts quietly and glances down at the blue paladin, obviously amused.

“Did I say that aloud??” Lance mumbles dizzily.

Keith hums quietly and nod, feeling his heart swell with a feeling that only Lance is capable of inducing. “Mhm.”

“Oh. It’s true though.” Lance pauses, wincing at a sharp jolt of pain. Keith’s brows furrow as he notices his pain and Lance feels the need to set him at ease. Keith enters his room and brings him to his bed, and honestly, he’s almost excited to sleep. After resting for a while, he should be good as new.

He sets him down gently and Lance shifts on his bed, sighing in relief. The dizziness lessened with the lack of movement. Keith quietly tugs the grey blankets over him and Lance reaches out, catching his hand as he curls up on his side. Keith jolts in surprise, looking to Lance curiously.

“Don’t worry so much, okay?” He yawns as his eyes flutter shut, already drifting off.

Keith squeezes Lance’s hand and is secretly thankful that no one is around to see the red staining his cheeks. “I’ll stop worrying when you’re okay.” He murmurs and after a moment let’s go of his hand, sighing quietly and leaving the boy to sleep in peace.    

* * *

 

When Lance wakes up again, he’s alone. The intense pain in his head is gone and he feels..surprisingly good. Right as rain! The blankets are kicked down by his feet in a rumpled ball and the lights in his room are dim, everything feels normal.

Yawning widely, he gets to his feet and rolls his shoulders. He gives himself a once over to confirm that he’s alright, wiggling his fingers and tentatively reaching out for his magic. It’s definitely there, warm and alive in his chest and he sighs in a weird mixture of relief and disappointment. He often wishes for it to fade away, but then he has to admit, without his magic, he would feel horribly empty- and useless.

He’s not particularly surprised that this happened, considering it’s occurred before. He should’ve known. Using too much magic at once drains him, and he has to recuperate for a while before he feels better, sort of like when people lose a lot of blood.

The first time that happened was when he was eleven. He’s not sure what scared his mother more, the levitating spaceship toys or the fact that he passed out after for three whole days. Chuckling quietly to himself, Lance leaves his room to find his friends. _And Keith._

The first thing he notices when he reaches the control room, is that everyone looks irate or uncomfortable. Keith and Allura stand in the middle of the room, arms crossed and frowns on their faces. They’re arguing about something. Coran stands near Allura, watching them with a mildly concerned expression.

“Uh, guys? Maybe we should just cool off for a second, ha ha..” Hunk chimes in awkwardly, sitting with Pidge on the couch, but no less tense. Pidge had their knees drawn up to their chest, chin leaning atop them. They look deep in thought.

Really, Lance is gone for two seconds and already everything is already starting to fall apart? Tsk.

“Is everything alright? Did something bad happen?” Lance asks as he steps into the room, concerned. Hunk and Pidge’s face both light up in relief as he makes his presence known. Hunk nearly falls getting up from the couch in a hurry and racing over to his friend.

He nearly send them both to the ground with his giant bear hug, wailing in Lance’s ear about how worried he was and he can’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Don’t _cry,_ jeez Hunk!” Lance huffs but hugs back, smiling. Once Hunk lets go of him, Pidge punches him hard in the arm.

For some reason, he’s not surprised.

“Ack! What the heck Pidge!? Are you trying to put me back in the healing pod?” He whines dramatically, rubbing his arm and pouting at them.

“You’ll live.” They sniff and shrug nonchalantly. “Don’t do that again, alright?” Pidge says, softer this time, suddenly very vulnerable. Lance understands them more than anyone else on that ship, so he knows this is how they expresses their concern. It’s sweet.

“I’ll try my best, Pidgeon.” He chuckles quietly and ruffles their hair affectionately, and them batting his hand away in mock annoyance. Pidge grumbles half heartedly and goes back to sitting on the couch, fixing their hair and stifling a grin.

“It’s good to have you back Lance!” Coran chirps, and walks over to him, patting him firmly on the back. He grins warmly and mutters his thanks, nearly sheepish with all the attention. It’s nice to know that they care so much, that he’s valued. Sometimes he forgets.

“Yes, I’m pleased to see you’re conscious as well. Thankfully, it’s been an uneventful couple of days.” Allura adds, uncoiling from her tense posture. But there’s something in the way she’s looking at him. She has a calculating look in her eyes, as if she’s seeing through Lance for the first time.

It makes him a little uneasy.

But he plays it off with another grin. “Glad to see you missed me so much.”

Then he sees Keith. The air feels a little thicker as he meets the red paladin’s eyes. Keith, who was just tense and angry, is just standing there, staring at him with something he doesn’t quite understand in his eyes. Something warm and soft.

It makes his heart stutter and makes the noise from the others fade out until the only thing he can focus on is Keith. Lance’s breath is caught in his throat and Keith just stands there, looking amused with his stupid pretty eyes twinkling, a small smirk quirking at his lips. And he’s pretty sure his cheeks have gone pink, which is mortifying.

“So, how are you feeling?” Keith speaks up and he shakes himself out of his thoughts, shrugging slightly.

“I- uh- feel fine, good. Awesome really!” Lance rambles, sticking his hands in his pockets and makes a face like he’s confused himself with his own actions. Keith has to resist the urge to laugh and instead quirks an eyebrow at him in amusement.

“Is that so?”

He clears his throat and tries again. “Yeah, I mean, before I felt like my head was trying to implode and explode at the same time, but now it’s all good.” He says, running his fingers idly through his hair and nodding slightly.

“Good. You had me worried for a while there.” Keith hums and despite how calm he is now, before he felt like he was on the verge of frustrated tears every hour that passed without Lance waking.

He’d waited outside Lance’s healing pod, only over leaving when forced by Hunk or Coran to eat food or sleep for a little. But he always went back. His worries eased a little when Lance came out of the healing pod, but he still wasn’t well. Seeing Lance in pain was painful for everyone. But most of all for Keith.

And truthfully, he’d missed him a lot.

But of course, Lance doesn’t need to know that. As long as he’s okay now.

He can’t help the small smile that pulls at his lips and Lance grins back, warm and bright as the sun itself.

Unfortunately, Allura’s voice cuts through the air, upsetting the fragile air between them. Keith scowls slightly and breathes out through his nose.

“Now that you’re all better, I believe there are some things that needs to be discussed.” Allura states before Keith can say anything else. Keith is tense again, eyes flashing in irritation as he looks back at Allura.

“He just woke up, can you not wait-” He starts, and Allura holds up a hand, silencing him.

“I’ve waited long enough Keith.” Her tone is sharp and final. Then she turns back to Lance, blue eyes just as sharp.

"Lance,” She starts and he feels himself tense anxiously. “I need you to tell me what happened the day you passed out.” He jolts in surprised, glancing over at Keith. His expression is solemn and he just sighs.

Oh.

Oh.

**_Shit._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> G u y s. I'm probably going to say this every chapter, but the positive responses I'm getting from everybody who read this are so nice?? I really love reading the comments!! Thank you all! Also don't worry, the Klance is coming soon!!


	7. Cornered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is forced to reveal his secret to his team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, just a forewarning, there is a little blood in this chapter but not too much, I tried not to make it graphic. The wound is self-inflicted but it's not because of depression or anything like that, the wound was to prove a point (it'll make more sense when you read it). Just a warning in case that sort of thing bothers anyone! Anyways, enjoy the chapter all!

_“ I need you to tell me what happened the day you passed out.”_

Lance’s breath catches in his throat. “What do you mean?” He feigns confusion and looks at Allura curiously. He prays that she hasn’t caught on because _he’s not ready_.

“There were a couple of..strange occurrences that took place before you passed out. I was wondering if you had any insight to those things?” She explains patiently, and the way she says them isn’t quite accusing, but the words in themselves hint at an accusation.

And holy crap, his heart is beating hard, he’s sure everyone in the room can hear it. He isn’t sure if he can lie his way out of this one, glancing around at the expectant gazes of his teammates. Anxiety swells in his chest like a balloon. He was hoping this wouldn't happen for a long time.

He clears his throat and shifts slightly. “What strange occurrences, exactly?” He asks and cocks his head to the side, getting a feel out for how much she knows. Everyone on team Voltron knows that Allura is smart. That’s why she won’t wait for an explanation, she knows that if Keith and Lance are left alone, they’ll figure out a cover story. She must suspect that something is off. An unsettling feeling forms in the pit Keith’s stomach.

Allura’s eyes narrow slightly and but she elaborates. “The castle’s systems were temporarily disabled and there were odd scorch marks on the walls in the training room, where you were found.”

The air is tense despite Lance’s cheery façade and Allura’s patient prowess. Hunk and Pidge look between them both, mildly confused.

“Well, did Coran run a diagnostic check? And the blasts could have been from my bayard.” He says offhandedly. Allura frowns and Coran speaks up.

“I did check the systems and I isolated the variables. The malfunction wasn’t a simple error or an attack, it was caused from inside the castle.” He states, eyes flickering over to Lance.

“We went over the camera videos from inside the castle, including the training room.” Allura adds casually.

Lance and Keith both freeze.

He’s _so_ screwed.

Awesome.

Great.

_Fantastic!_

“It’s interesting, when the malfunctions started, the recording went static. We could see a few seconds in though.” Allura comments with a deceiving lightness in her tone. Keith feels himself shift, his body language going tense and alert. He glances over at Lance, who looks pale and unnerved.

“Okay hold on a second, can we get straight to the point, because all this vagueness is giving me a headache.” Pidge speaks up, a frown twisting at their lips. “What exactly are you trying to accuse Lance of?”

“I’m just trying to understand what happened Pidge.”

“No, you’re treating him like he’s done something wrong!” Pidge snaps impatiently, eyes flashing behind their glasses and Lance is grateful for the attempt to defend him.

“Maybe he has.” Allura states simply and Lance lets out an incredulous noise. “Lance, the video’s recording shows you in the training room before the system’s malfunctioned. In the video, your eyes appear to..glow just before the video cuts to static.” She says, turning her cold gaze on Lance.

He freezes, eyes wide in shock. _She knows._

“Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound right now?” Keith interjects, giving Allura an unimpressed look. Allura ruffles and glares darkly at Keith.

“You were there as well Keith, lying is useless at this point.” She snaps, then turning her attention back to the blue paladin.  “Did you intentionally disable the system?” She demands, eyes flickering between Keith and Lance.

Sweet, kind Allura has now turned into cold and angry, something he has only ever seen her do in response to enemies and threats.

Lance sort of feels like laughing and crying at the same time.

“Why the heck would he do that??” Hunk asks in an incredulous tone, giving Lance a look that basically translates into “Has Allura gone insane???”.

“Princess, maybe you are overreacting just a teeny bit-” Coran pipes up, stepping forward.

“Do you all know what tore the last team of paladins apart?” Allura cuts him off, voice sharp and stinging. The paladins all freeze and of course they know exactly what happened. Her eyes are focused on Lance and he can’t help but shrink back, hands shaking slightly in nervousness. “One paladin began keeping secrets.” She says quieter, but no less sharp. Lance shivers. “The black paladin, Zarkon. Do you see how well that turned out Lance?” Her voice is accusing and hard.

Lance flinches like he’s been slapped, his face burning with anger and for some reason shame. He feels _wrong_ and he hates it.

He balls his hands into fists at his side, looking away. Keith is milliseconds away from stepping in front of Lance and tearing the princess a new one, instinctively stepping closer to the blue paladin.

“Are you really comparing me to Zarkon?” Lance asks in a quiet voice, emotions roiling in his chest and nearly stirring his magic.

“Should I be?” Allura responds icily. Pidge and Hunk audibly gasp from their spot on the couch, just as disbelieving as Lance feels.

He has to struggle to regain his breath and composure, his magic boiling so furiously inside him he nearly slips up. How could she be so untrusting of him? He’s never done _anything_ harmful or malicious in his life, what makes her so sure he’d start now?

“I disabled the castle’s systems.” Lance admits, startling everyone in the room but Allura. “But, it was an accident, alright? I didn’t mean to.” He says, voice wobbling slightly.

Allura gaze hardens and she straightens, wound tight with mistrust and tension. “How?” She asks, but he knows it’s not a question that he can refuse.

He hesitates uneasily. “Princess, please- You know there’s no way I’d ever hurt anyone-” He tries, spreading his hands helplessly. He feels nauseated, like a child being scolded for his wrongdoings.

“How did you do it Lance?” She repeats and everyone in the room feels unnerved, including Coran. That the princess is treating _Lance_ of all people, like he’s the bad guy. Pidge and Hunk exchange anxious looks, frozen in their places.

“Magic.”

Keith’s head whips around to stare at Lance, eyes wide. “Lance, don’t-” He starts but Allura silences him.

“I’m not in the mood for games, Lance.” She warns.

“I’m not joking!” He pleads for her to understand, to listen to him instead of looking at him like the way she is now. “I was training, with magic, in the training room. I had been trying to gain control of it for a while, and last time, _I finally got it_.” He says, running his fingers through his hair and looks over at Keith, who looks worried sick. “But then things got weird. The lights dimmed and suddenly there were alarms, I think my magic must have interfered with the castle, and I guess I overwhelmed myself because I passed out.”

Hunk and Pidge are on the verge of passing out themselves right now be cause honestly _what the hell is even happening?!_

“Magic doesn’t exist!” Pidge blurts from their seat on the couch, staring at Lance in utter bewilderment. He looks over at them and his expression softens.

“It does. And I have it.” He states, so surely Hunk thinks either he’s telling the truth or he’s super insane. “I didn’t want you to find out like this, I’m sorry.” He says, voice nearly pleading for them not to be mad.

“Show me.” Allura demands, then Keith sees tears in Lance’s eyes and decidedly has had enough, his lips pursed and his violet eyes narrowed.

“Uh, that’s not happening.” Keith interjects, grabbing Lance by the wrist and moves in front of him protectively, staring defiantly at Allura. Lance clings onto his hand and stays close behind him, eyes squeezed shut and head ducked as he tries to reign in his emotions. _His chest hurts._

"He doesn’t need to prove himself to you. He was chosen by the blue lion for a reason. He left his family behind to help you and protect the universe. Think about that.” Keith hisses and Lance feels himself relax a little before he notices Allura’s enraged expression.

The words logically make sense to Allura. She knows in the back of her mind she’s overreacting but she can’t stop herself. She’s not thinking straight.  “Keith, move out of the way.” She steps forwards threateningly. Lance feels nauseous and overwhelmed, why did he even get out of bed today?

“You’re treating him like a villain but he’s done nothing wrong! I’ll move when you come to your senses!” Keith snarls and his fingers twitch, itching to reach for his bayard.

“He’s dangerous!” She cries as she remembers. She remembers how dangerous Zarkon was. They blindly trusted him and it killed them. It killed her _father_ and she won’t make the same mistake.

“Aren’t we all?” Keith bites out in unadulterated frustration. “We’re all dangerous! If we weren’t, we would be useless in this stupid war against Zarkon. So yeah, he’s dangerous. But not to us.” Keith continues furiously. Allura seems more hesitant now, eyes troubled and dark with thought.

“Keith, it’s okay..” Lance mumbles, squeezing his hand softly.

“No it’s not!” He shakes his head and it's not. He looks at Lance, and he doesn't understand how Allura could think this boy is capable of betraying them. His stupid brown hair is still messy from sleep, his oceanic eyes reflect those of someone who is suffering unjustly, and despite that he's trying to tell _Keith_ that it's okay. Lance who cares so deeply about those around him does not deserve this. Lance who's saved his life and theirs too many times to count. 

It's not okay.

He presses on, turning to Allura. “I can prove to you right now that Lance and his abilities aren’t bad.” Keith says and the blue paladin frowns, looking at him curiously. Lance knows that look in his eyes. Keith is about to do something stupid.

The red paladin pulls out a knife and rolls up his sleeve, making Lance anxious. “Keith, what are you doing?” He asks, a hint of warning in his voice. He ignored him and presses the tips of the blade to his skin and everyone is on edge.

“Keith, stop!” Pidge cries, standing along with a very worried Hunk.

Allura is making her way closer, eyebrows furrowed. “Mullet, I swear to god, do _not_ -” Lance warns but Keith is already slicing horizontally across his arm, hissing in pain as the blood wells and drips down his arm. It’s not a huge cut, it certainly won’t kill him but it _stings like hell._ Lance lets out a choked cry and yanks the knife from his grasp, throwing it aside and grabbing his arm panickedly.

“Holy Crow, are you insane?!” Hunk cries and rushes over to the pair, staring uneasily at the wound. “Allura, seriously, whatever this is, isn’t worth it.” He hisses angrily. The princess is frozen in place, confused and stunned at Keith’s actions.

“I’m fine, I'm fine! Just watch.” He murmurs and watches Lance, whose eyes steadily glowing blue as he concentrates on the wound. As soon as he saw the wound he had started to summon his magic, which was roiling anxiously in his chest at the sight of Keith being hurt.

At the sight of Lance’s ethereal glow blue eyes, Hunk can feel himself gaping along with Pidge, who moved closer as well. He ignores them and give his full attention to Keith, a blue light pulsing from his palms as he presses it down against the wound. The glow brightens and Keith winces slightly, Lance's eyes flickering up to his own briefly.

Allura inhales sharply as the wound begins to heal, the skin steadily repairing itself and drawing back in the blood he lost in little rivulets.

Then the wound is gone. Not even a scar is left in it’s place.

Keith lets out a tiny sigh of relief and he looks up at Allura.

“There. Proof.” He smirks smugly.

“What the _fuck_ Keith?!” Lance hisses, punching the red paladin’s arm with a good amount of force.

Keith jerks and rubs his arm, nearly pouting at him. “Ow! Calm down, I knew you’d heal me!” He whines as the others watch the interaction in a mixture of fascination and shock.  

“I don’t care! Oh my god- I’m serious, you don’t just _do_ stuff like that alright?” He scolds, eyes flashing. Truthfully, Keith knew exactly how Lance would react and he isn’t really sorry. This is what the princess needs to see, Lance’s vulnerability and inherent protectiveness.

“It’s not a big deal Lance-” He tries gently and the others all make noises of disbelief beside them.

“Of course it is! Remember that thing I said about not wanting people to get hurt because of me? Were you listening??? Because just now makes me think you weren’t!” He rambles frustratedly, obviously on edge and still holding onto Keith’s arm. He’s close, and he can see the leftover panic and desperation in his eyes.

Well now he feels guilty. Keith sighs.

“ _Lance breathe._ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He soothes gently and nods. At that, Lance relaxes a little and releases his arm, muttering a breathless holy quiznak before catching his breath. Keith looks at Allura and by the expression on her face, it looks like she may be starting to understand.

“I think we all need a moment to calm down and process.” Coran says firmly, rubbing a hand over his face in an exasperated way. “Then we’ll talk. Calmly.”

They all nod.

Allura watches as Keith tugs Lance out of the room by the wrist, speaking in a low, comforting tone to the overwhelmed blue paladin.

She comes to the painful realization that if it's Lance that hasn't broken her trust, it's her that has broken his.


	8. Insecurities and Curiosities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance worries over Allura, a mandatory Harry Potter joke is made, and Keith is supportive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO WORDS: WRITER'S BLOCK! It was r o u g h, but I broke out of it, thank goodness lol.  
> Thank you to the people who still read this thing! <3 Side note, my favorite part about writing this is getting to read your comments! So thank you everyone who comments! It's much appreciated!!

Pidge, Keith and Lance all sit in the dining hall, processing the earlier events. Keith is sitting close to Lance, brooding quietly about Allura’s actions, Hunk is in the kitchen stress baking, and Pidge is not so discreetly sneaking glances at Lance over the top of their computer.

Lance has his chin propped up on his arms, resting against the tabletop. He’s exhausted and anxious, his magic continuously stirring in his chest due to his emotions running on high. His knee bounces erratically beneath the table until Keith presses a hand to his leg, giving him a concerned look.

Lance ignores it.

He can’t stop going over what happened, how the princess reacted.

 _She compared him to Zarkon_. She doesn’t trust him, and probably won’t for a while.

“She’s probably already looking for suitable blue paladin replacements as we speak.” He says to Keith bitterly, pursing his lips and staring ahead at the Altean clock on the wall.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” He chides and rolls his eyes, resting his cheek against his hand. “She’s just freaked out. Give her time to process and I’m sure she’ll realize you’re too much of a dork to hurt anyone.” He adds, waving his hand at the other with a smirk.

“Um, first off, rude.” He says in mock dismay, clutching his chest. “Secondly, I don’t think it’s gonna be that easy..” He trails off, shifting uncomfortably.

“I mean, her entire planet was killed off because of Zarkon and his betrayal. If she thinks I’m anything like him then I don’t think she’s gonna warm up to me any time soon.” He sighs dejectedly and sits up, rubbing his eyes and looking over at Keith.

“But you’re nothing like Zarkon! She’ll see that, right?” Pidge joins the conversation and sets their laptop aside.

“Of course she will.” Keith sniffs and crosses his arms, violet eyes flashing.  “Or we’ll make her.”

“We are not making her do anything! Control yourself Kogane.” Lance huffs and this time rolls his eyes at the other. Keith just grins and shrugs innocently.

Lance begins to relax a little, the weight on his shoulders gradually lifting from being with his friends. Hunk waltz in with a couple of bowls and places one in front of everyone. “I made special food goo. It was supposed to be for dessert later but, it seems more like a now thing.” He explains, flashing a sheepish smile at Lance.

“What flavor is it this time?” Pidge asks excitedly, grabbing their spoon and studying the pinkish goo.

“Try it and see.” He says smugly, sitting in the chair next to them. Lance immediately shoves a spoonful in his mouth, trusting Hunk’s amazing skills and of course he isn’t disappointed. It tastes like fresh strawberries.

It’s _heavenly_.

“ _Hunk”_ , Lance gasps, “Honestly, how? How do you do these things?” Lance asks in wonder as he continues to eat. The taste is spot on, sweet and cool, and he doesn’t even mind the consistency.

The yellow paladin beams in pride and shrugs. “I guess I’m just that good.”

There is a chorus of hummed agreement from the paladins as they eat. Lance hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he had started eating, he had been out a while but for some reason he was only now feeling the effects.

After a moment, he teasingly leans over and tries to stick his spoon in Keith’s bowl, getting a shove and a laugh in response from the other. Hunk snorts slightly from across the table and rolls his eyes light-heartedly. Lance feels sort of tired but he’s not as upset anymore, allowing himself to be caught up in the moment. They finish their food and they all fall into idle chatter.

Buuuut then Pidge is staring again, trying to be discreet but failing miserably. He can practically hear the gears turning in their head. The others had been doing a pretty good job of trying to act normal around him, but Pidge is different. They’re just insatiably curious and Pidge is lucky he finds it endearing.

So Lance sighs in mock annoyance and turns to Pidge, giving in to their questioning stare. “Pidge, just ask.” He says in fond exasperation, their cheeks pinkening in mild embarrassment.

“Sorry, but this is..a lot.” They say and push away their empty bowl, leaning forward from their seat across from him.

"So. Magic.” Pidge says slowly, as if dragging out the letters would help the word make more sense to them.

“Yes. Magic.” Lance affirms, feeling a slightly grin twitch at his lips despite himself.

“...Like Harry Potter?” They inquire, only kind of joking. By his side, he hears Keith stifle a snicker and his amused smile behind his hand.

Keith leans close and stares at the blue paladin unwaveringly, violet boring into blue. “Yer a wizard Lance.” He whispers conspiratorially and Lance can’t help the laughter that bursts from his lips. Of course Keith’s a secret nerd.

“If Lance is a wizard, are we muggles?” Hunk asks, poking into the conversation and grinning.

"I think Pidge would be a house elf." Keith declare and Pidge glares at him.

"I know because I'm short, har har har." Pidge laugh mockingly and Keith stifles an amused smile behind his hand.

Lance groans and sinks down in his chair, pulling his hoodie over his head and tightening the strings to hide his face. “You know, maybe this is really why I didn’t wanna tell you guys. To avoid these horrible pop culture references.” He groans teasingly and Pidge giggles.

“Okay but seriously. How does it work? How do you have it? Does it have to be learned? Is it hereditary?” Pidge goes into overdrive, firing off questions and Lance reaches across the table, covering their mouth.

“One question at a time Pidgeon.” He states with an amused look, removing his hand.

“Right! Sorry, this is just..insane! It completely changes everything!” They say, eyes sparkling. “In a good way of course.” Pidge adds after a second.

After Pidges calms themself and clasps their fingers in front of them, eyes focused. “First question. How do you have it?”

Lance purses his lips and shrugs. “I was born with it, but no one else in my family has it.” He says, leaning his cheek on his fist. “Not that I know of.” He adds.

Pidge reopens their laptop and starts typing notes down and Hunk listens curiously.

“When did it first manifest?”

Lance has to think about this one, sifting through his memories. “My mother used to tell me stories of when I was a baby, how I would always get into things and places that should have been impossible for me to reach. But the first time I can remember was when I was four. I was alone in my room, playing with these little aircraft figures. And I actually made them fly.”

Lance’s words come out careful and mildly awkward, and Keith can’t really blame him. He has only ever talked about this with his family and more recently the red paladin, and it feels..weird. He glances over at the red paladin and catches his eye, an encouraging smile curving at Keith’s lips.

“What kind of things can you do? Are you limited to a certain skillset with your magic?

Lance pause, unsure of how to answer. “To be honest, I haven’t really explored my magic that much? I’ve only recently started practicing with it.” He says and Pidge stares incredulously. "I think I'm pretty powerful though?" He adds uncertainly, shrugging a bit.

“You have magic powers for _eighteen years_ ,” They dramatically pause, “and you’re only just now exploring them?!” Pidge cries and slaps her palm to her forehead, groaning in near physical pain from his response. Hunk laughs and pats their head as Lance shrugs. “If I had magic, I’d be using it 24/7!”

“It’s not that simple Pidge. It’s volatile. It’s like a sword except it nearly has a mind of it’s own, and it’s hard to control.” He explains. “I was scared to use it.”

   

“What is there to be afraid of..?” Hunk asks, mildly puzzled. Lance frowns and looks down at the table.

“I could hurt someone, or even worse..” Lance swallows thickly and idly rubs the pads of his fingers across the scratches and notches on the table’s surface. “It takes a lot to control it and it reacts the most to powerful emotions. Which mean if I get angry, it's like a freaking volcano in my chest, begging to be let loose. I have to be careful. It’s a weapon, dangerous and powerful, so I have to be its conscience and guide it.” Pidge is making more notes, humming thoughtfully. What is she even typing??

“So would you say you repressed a lot of emotions to keep it controlled?” Pidge asks gently and Keith jolts slightly at the question, looking over at the blue paladin. He’d never really taken that into consideration.

It’s an upsetting thought actually. That Lance keeps his feelings bottled up because he has to protect everyone _from himself_. Lance winces but nods.

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” Lance jokes to diffuse the heaviness and smiles diffidently at Pidge. Everyone looks mildly upset by the previous realization. Hunk, on some level, already knew about this aspect of Lance. How could he not? They’d been friend for _years_.

Lance has certain tells, whether he knows it or not, and Hunk has learned most of them.

Now it all makes more sense though. He understand why Lance is so reluctant to show how he really feels instead of burying it all with a grin.

“Lance that’s-” They start and he interrupts her, shaking his head.

“Pidge, don’t. It’s okay. I’m okay.” He soothes and looks at her with all the warmth of an older brother, caring for his family.

“Besides, thanks to mullet man, I’m getting better. I know what to do now so maybe things will change.” He says more confidently, shooting the red paladin a cheeky grin, one that he only shows to Keith and he feels his heart flutter.

This boy will be the death of him.

“How have you been doing that?” Pidge changes the subject,

“Practicing in the training room! I finally figured out how to control it!” Lance says excitedly, eyes bright. “But, consequently, I guess I pushed it a bit far, since I passed out afterward..” He adds sheepishly and Hunk tsks at Lance half heartedly.

Pidge gives him a mildly disapproving look, remembering how worried they’d all been when he had been unconscious. They would prefer it not happen again. “And how do you control it?”

“Well, before I was trying to stifle my magic, which also meant stifling the emotions that usually stir it up...but that wasn’t right. I have to be in tune with who I am and what I feel to control it best.” He explains and Keith notices his cheeks pinken as he fiddles with the hem of his shirt, looking downwards.

“Fascinating..” Pidge mutters, more to themself than anyone else and finishes typing their notes. Hunk peers over at the screen, reading the notes and reaching over helpfully to add a few things himself.

“Do you think I could run some tests?” They ask eagerly and Lance looks a little uncomfortable, so Keith steps in.

"Maybe that’s enough for today Pidge?” He suggests gently and Pidge groans disappointedly, but doesn’t push anymore.

“Tomorrow, okay? As long as it’s nothing too weird.” Lance promises with a small smile and give Keith a grateful look for his interruption. He really did not feel like being a guinea pig, especially not today. He stands up and smiles warmly at his friends.

He looks to Keith. “You coming or staying?” He asks, head cocked. Keith gives him a look that reads “Did you really ask that?” and Hunk and Pidge must have been thinking the same thing because they both snicker quietly.

“See you guys later!” Hunk coos teasingly and Keith shoots him an unamused look before following Lance out of the room.

* * *

 

About thirty minutes later they find themselves holed up in the observatory.

They’re both sitting, spread out on the blankets they retrieved from their rooms to gaze at the stars. Lance’s knees are tucked up to his chest as he looks off into space (literally). The observatory is dimly lit, they hadn’t bothered turning on the lights in favor of letting the natural light of the stars outside the castle illuminate the observatory.

Admittedly, Keith isn’t looking through the clear glass of the observatory, he’s looking at Lance. He can’t help but notice how pretty Lance looks. Keith has never really seen a guy as pretty before, but Lance definitely is. The way the light washes over Lance is utterly breathtaking, his blue eyes soft and unguarded as he stares up at the twinkling stars. Space has always captivated Lance, and despite being out there so long, he still looks at everything like it’s brand new and beautiful.

But Lance is far more beautiful than any star they’ll find.

_(And hopefully Keith will work up the courage to tell him that one day.)_

"Lance?” Keith says gently, breaking the fragile silence. The blue paladin is jolted from his thoughts, looking over at him.

“I just- I know today has been..a lot.” Keith starts unsteadily, wincing slightly at himself as he’s reminded of how awkward he is outside of his thoughts. “I just wanted to know if you’re okay?” He manages to ask, the concern obvious in his face.

Lance doesn’t answer right away because, truth be told, he’s not sure if he is. He sighs and shrugs slightly, head tilted down as he traces the swirling patterns on the blanket draped across his lap. “I don’t know. I’m trying not to freak out about Allura but no matter how hard I try, those thoughts are just niggling in the back of my head.” He confesses, raising his eyes to meet the other’s violet ones.

“What if Allura kicks me out of Voltron? Or what if she hates me? I don’t want that. And there’s nothing I can do about it because my magic is a part of me I can’t just lock away or get rid of.” Lance continues, eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed. “I hate it.” His voice wobbles slightly and he clenches his fists, tense and anxious. Keith reaches out a grabs his hand, coaxing it to unfurl as he rubs his thumb across the back of the Cuban boy’s hand.

“You’re too valuable to lose Lance, she wouldn’t do that. And like I said earlier, there’s no way she could hate you. Maybe you just need to show her that you’re still _you._ ” Keith says gently. “All of us know who you are and how good you are, there’s no way she’ll be so blind as to hate you and blame you for something out of your control.” He states surely as Lance uncurls his fingers, upturning his palm tentatively so he can hold Keith’s hand.

Lance glad the lights are dim because he’s definitely blushing like an idiot.

“I know what you’re saying makes sense, but it’s just hard to process, you know? The situation is making me so freaking anxious.” He huffs out a small laugh and stares down at their joined hands. “Maybe I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Hopefully she’ll be calmer by then.” He mutters and squeezes Keith’s hand slightly.

“I’ll go with you if you want.” Keith offers and Lance smiles, warm and sweet and it’s making Keith’s heart flutter uncontrollably.

Lance nods and sighs quietly, the tension melting from his hunched shoulders.

“Thanks.” He murmurs gratefully and curls closer to the other, wrapping the blankets around their shoulders and gazing at the stars again.

Lance goes on to tell him little facts about the stars and space and how he’s glad he can see it like this, all while his head leans on Keith’s shoulder. Keith prays the other can’t hear how fast his heart is beating as he curls his arm around him, getting comfortable.

It’s just them and the universe laid out before them.

Lance and Keith.

Side by side.


End file.
